Little Irvy was a traveling sideshow attraction in the United States from late 1967 until the mid-1990s. The body of the 20-ton sperm whale was hauled around the country by trucker Jerry "Tyrone" Malone in Old Blue, a refrigerated tractor-trailer.[1]
The whale was purchased in 1967 for $6,000 from the Del-Monte Fishing Company, which had captured the whale off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, with plans to sell the carcass for dog food.[2] After the whale was harpooned, it was frozen by pumping 40 tons of liquid nitrogen pumped throughout the carcass.[3]: 333 It was then kept in a glass tank in the refrigerated truck, with a sign reading "This Exhibit Is Dedicated to the Preservation of Whales".[3]: 333
On July 9, 1967, the frozen whale made its debut at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, and traveled the state fair and roadside attraction circuit for over 25 years.[2]
See also
editNotes and references
edit- References
- ^ Deford, Frank (August 11, 1969). "Little Irvy". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Inc. Archived from the original on March 1, 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
- ^ a b Webb 1995.
- ^ a b Nickell, Joe (2005). Secrets of the sideshows. Lexington, Ky.: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-7179-2. OCLC 65377460.
- Works cited
- Webb, Dewey (20 April 1995), "Thar She Froze! Refrigerated Whale to Chill Out in the Arizona Desert after 30 Years on Show-Biz Road", Phoenix New Times, Phoenix, Arizona, retrieved June 17, 2010
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